E-mail bombs and countermeasures: cyber attacks on availability and brand integrity

  • Authors:
  • T. Bass;A. Freyre;D. Gruber;G. Watt

  • Affiliations:
  • SAIC;-;-;-

  • Venue:
  • IEEE Network: The Magazine of Global Internetworking
  • Year:
  • 1998

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.02

Visualization

Abstract

The simplicity of SMTP mail can be combined with the robustness of the sendmail MTA program and misused in numerous ways to create extraordinary and powerful e-mail bombs. These e-mail bombs can be launched in many different attack scenarios which can easily flood and shut down chains of SMTP mail servers. Sendmail-based SMTP mail relays also can be used covertly to distribute messages and files that could be very damaging to the integrity and brands of victims. This article discusses mail-bombing techniques, automated attack tools, and countermeasures. Also discussed is an actual Internet-based attack that was launched in 1997 on the Langley AFB SMTP e-mail infrastructure. The authors also present an analysis of the cyber attack, graphs illustrating the attack volume, and a statistical e-mail bomb early warning system